I am currently the Cofounder and CEO of Influence & Co. - We help companies position key individuals as industry influencers and thought leaders. We focus on creating high-quality content, coming from our clients, that reaches their target audience online. Our clients range from startups to fast-growing companies on the Inc. 5000, as well as Fortune 500 brands.

6 Reasons Why Google's Author Tags Are Important to Leaders

Many companies rely on a strong online presence to generate sales or build brand awareness. Most strategies are in-depth and should be handled by your marketing team. However, Google’s author tag is one strategy that every leader should take advantage of to grow an online presence. It’s becoming increasingly important for industry leaders and experts to utilize this easy strategy; here are six reasons why Google’s new tag is great for you and your company.

1. Thought Leadership

Using the rel=“author” tag on any content from your company allows followers and potential business partners to find all your work in one place, since it’s listed under your Google+ profile. This allows users to quickly and easily find additional articles you’ve written. Increased exposure to more of your content will retain readers and help bring in new ones as well. Ultimately, this will shine a bigger spotlight on your brand, your business, and its product or service.

2. Search Engine Optimization

With the rise of Author Rank and its influence on Google’s search-ranking process, it’s incredibly valuable to link all of your articles using the rel=“author” tag. This is a way to prove to Google that you’re the author of these articles, even though they’re posted on many different sites. Google can then take this authority into account when it calculates search results — the more content you link together, the more authority and gravity you gain when it comes to SEO. And remember: since Google has a stake in its search engine, as well as the Google+ network, it really pays to build your presence in both arenas.

3. Company Branding

Having all the writers in your company set up a Google+ profile will help build your business’s online presence. Once those accounts are connected to your company, people will be able to discover them through your profile and vice versa. Your employees will benefit from the increased exposure, and your company or brand will benefit from the large amount of content associated with it.

4. Google +1s

Using the rel=“author” tag means that when people “+1” an article, no matter where that article is located, authority will be passed on to you. While the site will benefit from the increased traffic, you also benefit because the article is directly tied to your Google+ profile. As an author, this is an incredibly easy way to gain authority and influence through your articles, even if they’re published on sites you don’t control. Now that Google is more socially-driven, enough +1s could help your articles rise in search rankings as well.

5. Enhanced Search Results

Adding rel=“author” to your content doesn’t just mean that your article has a better chance of high-ranking search placements. While it’s great to have those inbound links and +1s, Google goes a step further when showing search results: Your Google+ profile picture will often accompany the article. This is great because people have the option to click through to your article, but they may also visit your Google+ page. As I mentioned earlier, they’ll be able to see all the articles you’ve written, other members of your company, and more. Plus, your article isn’t a routine search result anymore — it stands out!

This is an example of how the author tag helps an article stand out against other search results. Rather than a typical search result, an author tag adds a picture of the author or person being recognized, with that person’s name in the description.

6. Data Aggregation

Using rel=“author” and establishing your authorship on Google+ will allow you to see stats in Google’s Webmaster Tools. This is a valuable step to take because it allows you to see how many times your content shows up in search results, and approximately how many times it’s been clicked. This allows you to analyze the reach of your content and your viewers’ engagement levels — it’s a high-tech way to ensure your contributions make the impact you want.

If that’s not enough to persuade you to get started with Google’s author tag, it’s also incredibly easy to implement. Google provides a guide to get started (http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2539557) that’s simple to follow. Google’s author tag is a valuable way to build your online presence and your company’s brand — and it can pay off big-time.

John Hall is the CEO of Influence & Co., a company that assists individuals and brands in growing their influence through thought leadership and content marketing programs. Influence & Co., one of the leading providers of high quality expert content to the world’s top publications, is the creator of Contributor Weekly. Connect with John on Twitter or Google+.

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